West Hartford, Vermont

West Hartford is a unincorporated village in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont. It is the most rural of Hartford's five villages, situated on the White River and crossed by the Appalachian Trail. Almost half of the village was wiped out by a flood in 1927. Some areas have been developed for residential use, but significant forest, farming and open lands remain. West Hartford features a country store, a post office, a small library and a town park along the White River which is a popular fishing site.

Geography

West Hartford is located at geographical coordinates 43° 42′ 44" North, 72° 25′ 7" West (43.71212, -72.418541). The White River runs through the Village, and along Clifford Park, a great place for fishing and canoeing.

History

In the spring of 1927 the Vermont rivers flooded taking out several bridges, including the west hartford bridge, shortly after the flood the bridges were all replace with "cookie cutter" bridges that were tall, green, steel bridges. In 2006 the bridge was replaced with a new single span bridge, Veterans Bridge. The old bridge had a pool off the downstream side that local teens would jump off the bridge into the water. The new bridge is in a location where it is dangerous to jump because the deep pool is no longer accessible. At the foot of the new bridge is a small area in remembrance of HArtford Veterans that have died in the wars.

Clifford Park is a town maintained park that includes nature trails, a softball field, horseshoe pits and a picnic area on the river. Every summer it is turned into a major landing area for the hot air balloons that have taken off at the Quechee Balloon Festival and ever Halloween it is the Haunted Area for local youths sponsored by the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department. The park is Clifford after the former owner of the land that now holds the park and the land that is the Westfield Drive community.

Schools

West Hartford Elementary Students attend Ottoquechee School in Quechee, VT (K-5) and then attend Middle and High School at Hartford Memorial Middle School (6-8) and HArtford HIgh School (9-12). Parents looking to private school their children usually turn to the Upper Valley Waldorf School in Quechee (K-8).

External links

* [http://www.hartford-vt.org Town of Hartford, Vermont (official site)]
* [http://www.hartfordvtchamber.com Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.hartfordhistory.org Hartford Historical Society]
* [http://www.hartfordschool.net HArtford School District]
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